The world was shifting, and none of them knew it yet.
Nami's quiet sniffles were muffled against my chest, her grip tightening on the book as though she could change the ending if she just held on hard enough. The others remained still, drowning in the weight of the story just as much as she was. Funny how ink on paper could do what no battle ever could—make even the toughest of them fall silent.
Usopp, bless his heart, tried to cut through the heaviness. "Oi, Nami, it's just a book."
She scoffed, voice thick with emotion. "That's the problem, Usopp. It shouldn't be just a book. It felt too real."
I let a slow smirk creep onto my lips—not that anyone saw. "That's the sign of a damn good writer."
"Tch, I'd punch 'em if I met 'em," Zoro muttered, arms crossed. "Writing a story that ends like that? Bastard must have one hell of a twisted mind."
Sanji exhaled a stream of smoke, his face shadowed. "Or they lost something themselves. Only people who understand pain write like that."
My smirk faded slightly. My fingers brushed against Nami's back in silent comfort, but my mind was elsewhere. They were all wrestling with the weight of the book—frustration, admiration, and that nagging sense of loss that lingers after a tragedy.
Luffy, simple as ever, closed his eyes. "It was sad... but they fought for what they wanted. I like that."
No one knew how to respond to that. Because, somehow, Luffy—without even trying—had cut to the heart of the matter.
Across the Seas—The World Reacts
The impact of The Knight's Requiem rippled through the world like a stone dropped into the sea. From the slums of East Blue to the palaces of Mariejois, the book found its way into the hands of people who had never known a story like this before.
On Whitebeard's ship, the old man sat with the book resting in his lap, expression unreadable.
"Love is the greatest freedom..." he finally muttered. "And the cruelest chain."
Marco frowned, standing nearby. "Didn't think you were one for novels, Pops."
Whitebeard let out a low chuckle. "I've seen enough fools throw their lives away for love. This one just put it in words."
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit bar, Red-Haired Shanks pushed the book aside and took a long swig of his drink. "Damn. That hit hard."
His usually loud and chaotic crew was silent for once. "Who the hell wrote this?" Yasopp finally asked.
"Whoever it is," Shanks murmured, staring at the book, "they understand loss better than most."
In the gilded halls of Mariejois, the Celestial Dragons scoffed at the novel, calling it commoner filth. But beneath their sneers, unease festered. No one could ban these books. No one could silence the whispers they created.
And then, there was the new bounty poster.
[WANTED: The Phantom] Bounty: 7,000,000,000 Berries (Alive Only) No name. No face. Just a shadow.
The crew crowded around the poster, utterly baffled.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Usopp blurted. "Seven billion?! That's higher than Whitebeard!"
"Never heard of 'im," Zoro muttered, scanning the poster. "No picture. No real name. Just 'The Phantom.'"
Sanji's brows furrowed. "It's almost like they don't know who he is... but they're terrified of him anyway."
"A ghost," Nami whispered, still staring at the bounty. "A shadow moving through the world."
Luffy grinned. "Sounds fun! Hope we meet 'em!"
I leaned casually against the mast, taking a long drink of water to hide the amusement threatening to crack through my mask. They had no idea.
And that?
That was the funniest part of all.
The Beginning of a Storm
As the Going Merry sailed closer to Loguetown, the world buzzed with whispers of a faceless man, a writer who seemed to know too much, and a bounty that made even the strongest shudder.
The tides were shifting.
And the world had no idea what was coming next.